Although Top Fuel racer Brandon Welch said it has “been frustrating coming out of the COVID lockdowns and reducing the number of races we can run,” he is showing that he is using the extra time at his San Diego shop wisely. He came off the trailer Friday and took the provisional No. 9 spot in the line-up with a 3.940-second pass at 260.26 mph. His Max Mileage Dragster skated all over the lane and ended up crossing the center line, but the former Funny Car driver made a case for his best qualifying position yet in Top Fuel. 

Unfortunately, Troy Buff bumped him out in the final qualifying session Saturday as they ran side by side. 

His still-freshly restarted program, Welch said, “is in a stage of constant growth and improvement. With the extra time in the shop, we have been examining any areas of our program where we are light on spares or where special tools would help make us faster in servicing the car. We use our time to slowly address those items and keep on growing. 

“The ultimate goal,” he said, “is to have a fast, consistent race car and a crew equipped with the parts and skills needed so that a major explosion wouldn't prevent us from making the next round.” 

One valuable component to his team in that regard is tuner Scott Graham, Pat Dakin’s long-time crew chief. And Dakin and his occasional driver, Spencer Massey, know well how to take Graham’s calculations and scramble the status quo in competition without hurting parts. 

“Scott is a tuner that may fly under the radar among the fans, but he has earned the respect of everyone that earns a living running Top Fuel cars. I'd be proud to put a Scott Graham-tuned Top Fuel car up against anyone,” Welch said. 

“The team is the same. Bill Tagney is the crew chief, and Scott Graham is tuning. Bill has spent decades working on this team, starting with Chuck,” Welch said, referring to his late grandfather, Funny Car pioneer Chuck Beal. “I have to give credit to Bill, because he is singularly focused on preparing the car and managing the work schedule, staffing, and to-do list for the racing operation. His dedication to the car enables me to focus on the sponsors and the budget.” Welch’s cousin, Tyson Porlas, who also is Beal’s grandson, serves in multiple roles on the team. “Tyson is my business partner, he is the diver on the car, and he works with me on sponsorship sales,” Welch said. “The crew guys are a mix of Chuck Beal-trained veterans and newer guys that have joined in the last couple years. It's a good group of guys that are really positive and lift each other up.” 

Now the biggest chore for Welch is to get the driver prepared. He actually used to split his work week between San Diego and Las Vegas. But he’s home at San Diego full time, “focused on building my own wealth management business and running the race team.” He and wife Kathryn have six-year-old twin daughters, Kate and Claire, and, he said, “a feisty 2-year-old daughter named Jane. My dog is a girl too. Raising three daughters is by far the highlight of my life.” So he already has more on his plate than many have, but he also makes time to concentrate on the Top Fuel team and his driving duties. 

But he said candidly, “I don't spend enough time focused on driving the car. I've always been fairly quick on the tree, and my time in a Funny Car prepared me pretty well for whatever can happen after I hit the gas. That said, I've watched guys like Spencer Massey and Justin Ashley cutting ridiculously quick lights this year, and I know I've got to invest more time in that.”   

He has no problem with his timing on the marketing side of the race-team business. That’s definitely one of Welch’s strong suits. 

“Sponsorship development is a never-ending pursuit,” he said, “and I always have something brewing. My goal is to bring new sponsors to the sport and scale the programs that work. We've really loved the response of the fans to Pittsburgh Power and their sponsorship of Beal Racing, promoting their Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst for diesel engines. Pittsburgh Power is a well-respected brand among truckers, and I know there are a lot of truckers that follow NHRA Drag Racing. I'm always working to bring new sponsors to the sport, and I hope to have additional announcements prior to the start of the 2022 season.”